Dr Lachlan McDowell

SPECIALIST AREAS

Dr Lachlan McDowell is a consultant Radiation Oncologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital with clinical and academic expertise in head and neck cancer and complex cutaneous malignancies. He has a strong focus on survivorship care, particularly addressing the short and long-term physical and psychological consequences of treatment in head and neck cancer survivors.

EDUCATION

Dr McDowell graduated from the University of Queensland in 2008 and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (FRANZCR) in 2015. He subsequently completed a clinical and research fellowship in head and neck radiation oncology and late effects at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada. From 2016 to 2022, he served as a consultant Radiation Oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, contributing to the national head and neck program. In 2024, he was awarded a PhD from the University of Melbourne, focusing on symptom burden and health-related quality of life in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer, and received the Dean’s Award for Postgraduate Research.

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Dr McDowell is a recognised leader in head and neck oncology research, with over 80 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals. His research program addresses clinical outcomes, quality of life, symptom trajectories, and unmet needs in head and neck cancer survivors, including fear of cancer recurrence, sexual health, and psychosocial wellbeing.

He is a frequently invited speaker at national and international oncology conferences and maintains active leadership roles across global research networks. 

He has served on the editorial board of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics—the leading global journal in radiation oncology—since 2021. In 2023, he was appointed the Head and Neck Section Editor, a prestigious and influential role in which he oversees all submissions related to head and neck and cutaneous cancers.

A full list of publications is available via PubMed:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=lachlan+mcdowell

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

Current

  • Chair, Head and Neck and Skin Working Party, Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG)

  • Board Member and Deputy Chair, Guidelines and Protocols Committee, Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG)

  • International Liaison, NRG Oncology Head and Neck Committee

  • Clinical Advisory Committee Member for Head and Neck Cancer Australia (HANCA), the national peak body supporting education and advocacy for patients and families affected by head and neck cancer.

 Prior

  • Inaugural Co-Chair, HNCIG Young Investigators Subcommittee (2020–2024)

  • Member, eviQ Head and Neck Reference Committee

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

Dr McDowell’s contributions have been recognised with multiple awards, including:

  • Dean’s Award for Postgraduate Research, University of Melbourne (2024)

  • TROG Emerging Researcher Award (2024)

  • Victorian and Tasmanian Radiation Oncology Training Network Award for Excellence in Teaching (2018, 2020; honourable mentions in 2016, 2017)

 He is an active member of:

  • Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG)

  • Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG)

  • American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)